Placing Device Building System and Method of Constructing a Multi-Storey Building

ABSTRACT

A placing device ( 1 ) for placing building elements ( 2 ) in constructing a multi-storey building comprises a lifting means ( 4 ) for lifting a prefabricated building element ( 2 ), a moving means ( 7 ) for moving the placing device ( 1 ) into and out of a lower storey of the multi-storey building, the lower storey being arranged under an upper storey, a rotary means ( 8 ) for rotating the building element ( 2 ) about a normal to a floor plane of the lower storey, a vertical adjustment means ( 20 ) for vertically adjusting the building element ( 2 ), and a control means ( 14 ) for controlling the placing device ( 1 ) for placing the building element ( 2 ) according to a predetermined pattern. A building system and a method of constructing a multi-storey building are also disclosed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a placing device for placing buildingelements in constructing a multi-storey building. The invention alsorelates to a building system for constructing a multi-storey building.The invention further relates to a method of constructing a multi-storeybuilding, in which an upper storey is constructed and raised before alower storey is constructed under the raised upper storey.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Multi-storey buildings are traditionally constructed from the bottom tothe top, and one of the first steps is usually to perform the foundationwork. The foundation can, for example, be a slab on the ground or abasement foundation, on which the first storey (i.e. the ground floor)of the multi-storey building is constructed. Then, on top of the firststorey, a second storey is built which is supported by structuralconcrete elements belonging to the first storey.

Concrete elements are subsequently placed or cast on the underlyingelements until a desired number of storeys is obtained, and as thebuilding grows higher building elements are lifted increasingly higherup by means of conventional cranes. In many cases interior fittings arealso lifted up and placed on the floor level where they are to bemounted.

Scaffolding and other security details are often mounted at the outsideof the building, which is time-consuming and expensive but necessary toobtain a safe working environment.

A general problem of prior-art building methods is that it is oftenrelatively time-consuming and thus expensive to construct a multi-storeybuilding. Furthermore, much nonproductive work is performed in the formof scaffold erecting, material handling, crane lifting and also reworkdue to erroneously performed working operations.

Building elements which are lifted into the building by crane have to beexactly positioned by hand. This increases the labour costs and alsoconstitutes a source of risk for the erectors.

Another problem is that both the building and the building workers areexposed to weather, which in turn results in a number of problems.

Prior-art building methods also suffer from drawbacks such as the dangerof people or objects falling from a high place, which may cause bothmaterial damage and personal injury to workers who either fall or arehit by falling objects.

A further drawback of prior-art methods of constructing multi-storeybuildings is the increased risk of accidents involved in working withcranes.

Another problem of prior-art building methods is that perishablematerials cannot be mounted until the building is covered and initialmoisture dried out. This leads to long construction times and highcosts.

Therefore building methods are developed in which the storeys are builtin reverse order. According to such a method, the construction startswith the foundation work. Then, on the foundation, the uppermost storeyand the roof are built. The uppermost storey is subsequently raised byone floor, after which the construction of the second uppermost storeyis initiated below the uppermost storey. The construction then proceedsin this manner until a desired number of storeys is obtained and iscompleted by the building of the ground floor. The walls and the floorstructures are cast in situ. A method of this type is disclosed, forinstance, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,513.

One drawback of these “reverse” building methods is that they usein-situ concrete, which demands a great deal of work on the work site.In addition, casting concrete in situ requires much equipment, forinstance, in the form of pumps and forms. There is also a risk ofcasting errors leading to rework. Another problem of casting in situ isthat the concrete must dry, which increases the construction time.Prefabricated building elements cannot be used, since the “reverse”building process makes it impossible for cranes to lift buildingelements into the storey which is currently being constructed as it ishidden under the storeys that are already built.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the present invention is to remedy or at least mitigatethe above-described problems.

A particular object is to provide a device which makes it possible toconstruct multi-storey buildings more effectively.

Another object is to provide an improved building system, which makes itpossible to construct multi-storey buildings more effectively.

Yet another object of the invention is to indicate an improved method ofconstructing multi-storey buildings.

These objects are achieved by a placing device according to claim 1.Preferred embodiments are defined in dependent claims 2-14.

The objects are also achieved by a building system according to claim 15and preferred embodiments thereof defined in dependent claims 16 and 17.

The objects are further achieved by a method according to claim 18.Preferred variants of the method are defined in dependent claims 19-25.

The placing device according to the invention comprises:

a lifting means for lifting a prefabricated building element,

a moving means for moving the placing device into and out of a lowerstorey of the multi-storey building, the lower storey being arrangedunder an upper storey,

a rotary means for rotating the building element about a normal to afloor plane of the lower storey,

a vertical adjustment means for vertically adjusting the buildingelement, and

a control means for controlling the placing device for placing thebuilding element according to a predetermined pattern. By this device,it is possible to place in an efficient manner prefabricated buildingelements for constructing a multi-storey building, in which a lowerstorey is constructed under a finished upper storey.

The moving means of the placing device can comprise wheels for movementalong rails arranged in the floor plane of the lower storey. It is thuspossible to easily provide safe movement of the placing device.

Alternatively, the moving means can comprise caterpillar tracks, whichallow free movement of the placing device.

According to preferred embodiments of the invention, the placing devicecomprises various means for moving and turning the building element,such as a lateral displacement means for displacing the building elementparallel to the floor plane, a longitudinal displacement means fordisplacing the building element in a plane parallel to the floor plane,a rotating means for rotating the building element about a normal to thefloor plane, a pivot means for turning the building element in a planeperpendicular to the floor plane, a tilting means for turning thebuilding element in a plane perpendicular to the floor plane, or atransverse displacement means for displacing the wall element parallelto the floor plane. With the aid of these means, it is possible tofinely adjust the position of the building element in variousdirections.

The control means of the placing device can comprise a programmablecontrol unit for controlling the placing device according to apredetermined coordinate system. Owing to this, the placing can beautomated for increased precision and safety.

The lifting means advantageously comprises suction cups for holding thebuilding element. The building elements can thus be held in a very safemanner.

The lifting means can comprise at least one mandrel for engagement in arecess at an underside of the building element. This further increasesthe holding safety.

According to an embodiment, the lifting means comprises lowerable armsfor lifting floor structure elements. Owing to this, the lifting meanscan be specially adjusted for safe movement of floor structure elements.

The longitudinal displacement means and the pivot means advantageouslycomprise a common bearing. The construction of the placing device canthus be very compact.

The inventive building system comprises a placing device according tothe invention and at least two lifting devices for lifting the buildingelement when it is placed according to the predetermined pattern. Withsuch a building system, it is possible to effectively position and holdbuilding elements which are to be mounted.

Lifting towers are advantageously arranged along an outside of themulti-storey building. By means of the lifting towers, the finishedstoreys can be raised before the construction of the next storey begins,without the need of any entrances in the storeys for lifting devices. Inaddition, their location at the outside of the building allows freespace inside the building, which means that all the building elementsrequired can be lifted into position from the inside of the storeycurrently being built, without being obstructed by lifting devicespassing through the building.

The building system can further comprise tie rods which interconnect twolifting towers arranged on opposite sides of the multi-storey building.Owing to this, the horizontal forces occurring when raising the finishedstoreys can be absorbed.

The inventive method of constructing a multi-storey building ischaracterised in

that a placing device lifts by a lifting means a prefabricated buildingelement from a storage place,

that the placing device moves the building element to a placementposition in the lower storey according to a predetermined pattern bymoving itself inside the lower storey and/or rotating the lifting meansabout a normal to a floor plane of the lower storey, and

that the placing device places the building element in the placementposition. This method makes it possible to construct a multi-storeybuilding in an efficient and safe manner with reduced manual labourinput. As the building elements are prefabricated, the construction timeis reduced and better manufacturing tolerances are possible.

The storage place of the building elements is advantageously outside themulti-storey building, which makes it easier to select a suitableunloading place and which allows the work site to be more accessible.

The building element can be a wall element or a floor structure element,which allows efficient construction of a storey.

The building element can also be selected from the group consisting of abathroom module, a kitchen module, a stair module and an elevatormodule, for increased prefabrication of the multi-storey building.

Advantageously, the placing device finely adjusts the position of thebuilding element by lateral displacement of the building elementparallel to the floor plane and/or longitudinal displacement of thebuilding element parallel to the floor plane and/or rotating thebuilding element about a normal to the floor plane and/or turning thebuilding element in two planes perpendicular to the floor plane. Bythese motions the position of the building element can be preciselyadjusted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail withreference to the accompanying schematic drawings which for the purposeof exemplification show presently preferred embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, seen obliquely from the rear, of a placingdevice according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the placing device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, seen obliquely from the front, of theplacing device.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view, seen from the side, of the placingdevice.

FIG. 5 is an outline diagram which illustrates the various motions ofthe placing device.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing parts of a building systemaccording to the invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing parts of the building system.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The placing device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is adapted for positioningprefabricated building elements of reinforced concrete, such as floorstructure elements 2, in constructing a multi-storey building 3 (seeFIG. 7). The placing device 1 is essentially composed of a lifting means4 supported by a rotary arm 5, which is mounted on a carriage 6.

The carriage 6 has wheels 7 for moving the placing device 1 along rails(not shown) in a floor plane G of the multi-storey building 3. The arm 5is rotatably connected to the carriage 6 via a bearing 8, so that thearm 5 and the lifting means 4 supported by the arm 5 can be rotatedabout a normal N to the floor plane G.

The lifting means 4 has two lifting forks 10, which each are providedwith a mandrel 11 for engagement with a hole or a groove at theunderside of the wall element 9. For as precise engagement as possible,the wall element should be formed with a hole at each end of itsunderside, but in view of the manufacturing tolerances of the wallelements it is suitable to have instead a hole at one end of the wallelement and a groove at the other end. One of the mandrels 11 can thusbe engaged in the groove, so that the wall element 9 can be held in asafe manner, in spite of any dimensional deviations. To hold the wallelement 9 in a safe manner, the lifting means 4 also has suction cups 12which can retain the wall element 9 by suction.

The lifting means 4 is in the position shown in FIG. 1 which is adaptedfor lifting and moving wall elements 9 (see FIG. 6), but by lowering twolowerable arms 13 the lifting means can be adapted for lifting andmoving floor structure elements 2. In that case, the floor structureelement 2 rests on the lowered arms 13.

The placing device 1 has a control unit 14, which makes it possible toremote-control the motions of the placing device 1, for instance bymeans of a hand control, for placing the building element 2, 9 accordingto a predetermined pattern, which is laid down in a constructiondrawing.

The placing device 1 has several degrees of freedom in the motionpattern of the lifting means 4 and the building element 2 supported bythe lifting means 4. The motion pattern is seen more clearly in FIG. 5.Besides the fact that the placing device 1 can execute a movement (arrowa) into and out of the storey C in question with the aid of the movingmeans consisting of the wheels 7 and the rails (not shown) in the floorplane G, and that the arm 5 can be rotated via the bearing 8 in a rotarymotion (arrow b) about the normal N to the floor plane G, the liftingmeans 4 and the building element 2 supported by the lifting means 4 canbe moved and rotated in a number of different ways.

Using a lateral displacement means in the form of a rack 15, the arm 5can be displaced laterally (arrow g), perpendicularly to the motion intoand out of the storey C provided by the wheels 7. Furthermore, the arm 5can be lengthened and shortened in a longitudinal displacement motion(arrow c) by means of a bearing 16 and two hydraulic cylinders 17, sothat the lifting means 4 is moved in a direction parallel to themovement of the placing device 1 into and out of the storey C. In thismanner, it is possible to obtain a finer adjustment of the position ofthe building element 2 in this direction compared to what is possibleusing the wheels 7.

The same bearing 16 as that used for lengthening and shortening the arm5 is used as a pivot means 18 for turning (arrow d) the lifting means 4in a plane perpendicular to the floor plane G.

It is possible to provide a rotation (arrow e) of the lifting meansabout the normal N to the floor plane G by a rotating means in the formof a bearing 19. The same bearing 19 can be used together with hydrauliccylinders 20 as vertical adjustment means for vertically adjusting(arrow f) the lifting means 4.

A transverse displacement means 21 can displace the building element 2on the lifting means 4 in a direction (arrow h) parallel to the floorplane G for fine adjustment of the position of the building element 2 onthe floor plane G.

A tilting means in the form of a bearing 22 allows tilting of thelifting means 4 and the building element 2 supported by the liftingmeans 4 in a turning motion (arrow i) in a plane perpendicular to thefloor plane G and perpendicular to the plane in which theabove-mentioned pivoting motion (arrow d) of the arm 5 takes place.

Owing to the various motions of the placing device 1, the placement ofthe heavy concrete element 2 can be controlled both roughly and finely.

Besides the placing device 1, the inventive building system alsoincludes lifting devices in the form of two jacks 23 per wall and anumber of lifting towers 24. The lifting towers 24 are placed along theoutside of the multi-storey building 3. The lifting devices 23 areplaced on the floor plane G for receiving a wall element 9, one at eachend of the wall element 9. The lifting devices 23 temporarily raise thewall element 9 placed by the placing device 1 so that the lifting towers24 can engage the lower edge of the wall element 9.

The inventive building method according to which the building system isintended to operate will now be described. The building method is basedon the principle of building the storeys of the multi-storey building 3in reverse order. As seen in FIG. 7, the finished storeys A and B areraised to make room for the construction of the next storey C under thetwo upper storeys A and B.

The placing device 1 can be moved by means of the wheels 7 into and outof the lower storey C (see FIG. 7) which is being constructed under araised, previously built upper storey B. The placing device 1 fetches abuilding element, such as a floor structure element 2, from a storageplace outside the multi-storey building 3. The placing device 1 is thenmoved into the lower storey C. The arm 5 is rotated by the rotary means8 about the normal N to the floor plane G so that the floor structureelement 2 attains approximately the position in which it is to beplaced. The position of the floor structure element 2 is then finelyadjusted by the various possibilities of movement of the placing device1, as described above, and the floor structure element is lowered downto its position. When the floor structure element 2 is placed, theplacing device 1 is moved out of the storey C to fetch more floorstructure elements 2 and wall elements 9. The placing device 1 can, ofcourse, also be used for placing other building elements, such askitchen modules, bathroom modules, stair modules and elevator modules(not shown). When the wall element 9 has reached its place, it is raisedby the placing device 1 towards the already built upper storey B. Whenall the building elements 2, 9 of the storey C are placed, they areinterconnected and cast together while being lifted by the liftingdevices 23. The building elements 2, 9 of the lower storey C are alsointerconnected and cast together with the previously constructed upperstorey B. The lifting towers 24 are then connected to the lower edge ofthe placed wall elements 9 to stepwise raise, by repeated engagement,all the finished storeys A, B, C by a bit more than one storey H to makeroom for the construction of the next storey. While the next storey isbeing constructed, the work in the lowermost C of the finished storeyscan be completed, for instance electrical work, heating, ventilation andsanitary installations and paint work.

By this method and the inventive placing device, it is possible toconstruct a multi-storey building in a very efficient way. Moreover,very good precision of the positioning of the building elements 2, 9 canbe achieved.

The construction of the placing device 1 is particularly compact, amongother things because the lengthening/shortening of the arm 5 can beprovided by the same bearing as the pivoting motion of the arm 5.

The location of the lifting towers 24 at the outside of the building 3allows the space inside the building 3 in the storey C just being builtto be free and not being disturbed by lifting devices passingtherethrough. This makes it possible to place, by means of the placingdevice 1, all the building elements required, wall elements 9 and floorstructure elements 2 as well as prefabricated modules, such as kitchens,bathrooms and elevators. If instead the lifting device had been placedinside the building 3, with entrances through the floor structures ofthe storeys, it would have been possible to place the wall elements 3 bymeans of the placing device but it would have been necessary to placethe floor structure elements in some other way. At the same time, theplacing device 1 facilitates the use of exterior lifting towers 24,since it can work inside the storey C which is currently being built andplace the building elements 2, 9 required without being obstructed bythe lifting towers 24.

It can be noted that the method of operation of the placing device 1differs in principle from that of conventional cranes in that thebuilding elements 2, 9 are placed starting from the inside of the storeyC and working out to the place where the walls are to be raised, whereasconventional cranes are placed outside the building and lift thebuilding elements from the outside in. Conventional cranes cannot beused in building methods in which the storeys are built in reverseorder, since the crane has not got access to the storey which is underconstruction as it is located under already built storeys. In addition,conventional cranes lift the building element at one point only, whichmeans that the building element can rotate freely and tip. In the finalplacement of the building element, the erectors have to guide the liftedbuilding element by hand, which involves working environment risks, inparticular when handling heavy concrete elements.

In summary, it can be concluded that by using the invention it ispossible to provide a building, which during construction, is protectedfrom weather, which results in shorter construction times due to lessneed of drying out and the possibility to mount moisture-sensitivematerials earlier, to automate the construction of the building withexact positioning of the building elements and to mount both thestructural building elements and prefabricated modules, such asbathrooms and kitchens, by means of the same device.

It will be understood that a number of modifications of the inventiveembodiments described herein are possible within the scope of theinvention, which is defined by the appended claims.

For example, instead of wheels 7, the placing device 1 can havecaterpillar tracks (not shown). Then there is no need for rails in thefloor plane G and the placing device 1 can move freely. The lateraldisplacement of the arm 5 can, of course, be provided by other meansthan by racks 15, for instance by wheels and rails.

The controlling of the placing device can be automated. In that case,the control unit 14 can be programmable for controlling the placingdevice 1 in a predetermined coordinate system. This control could bebased directly on suitably designed drawings.

The suction cups 12 can be connected to lights (not shown) which are litwhen a sufficient negative pressure is attained to indicate when thewall element 9 is secured.

In FIG. 7, only two lifting towers 24 are shown but naturally morelifting towers can be used, suitably at least four. If four liftingtowers 24 are used, they can, for instance, be placed in the centre ateach side of a four-sided multi-storey building 3.

When two opposite lifting towers 24 are raising the finished storeys,they can be interconnected by tie rods to absorb the horizontal forcesoccurring in the lifting, since the lifting takes place from the outsideof the building, i.e. eccentrically. Alternatively, each lifting towercan be anchored to the ground.

1. A placing device for placing building elements in constructing amulti-storey building wherein it comprises: a lifting means for liftinga prefabricated building element, a moving means for moving the placingdevice into and out of a lower storey of the multi-storey building, thelower storey being arranged under an upper storey, a rotary means forrotating the building element about a normal to a floor plane of thelower storey, a vertical adjustment means for vertically adjusting thebuilding element, and a control means for controlling the placing devicefor placing the building element according to a predetermined pattern.2. A placing device as claimed in claim 1, in which the moving meanscomprises wheels for movement along rails arranged in the floor plane ofthe lower storey.
 3. A placing device as claimed in claim 1, in whichthe moving means comprises caterpillar tracks.
 4. A placing device asclaimed in claim 1, further comprising a lateral displacement means fordisplacing the building element parallel to the floor plane.
 5. Aplacing device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a longitudinaldisplacement means for displacing the building element in a planeparallel to the floor plane.
 6. A placing device as claimed in claim 1,further comprising a rotating means for rotating the building elementabout a normal to the floor plane.
 7. A placing device as claimed inclaim 1, further comprising a pivot means for turning the buildingelement in a plane perpendicular to the floor plane.
 8. A placing deviceas claimed in claim 1, further comprising a tilting means for turningthe building element in a plane perpendicular to the floor plane.
 9. Aplacing device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transversedisplacement means for displacing the wall element parallel to the floorplane.
 10. A placing device as claimed in claim 1, in which the controlmeans comprises a programmable control unit for controlling the placingdevice according to a predetermined coordinate system.
 11. A placingdevice as claimed in claim 1, in which the lifting means Comprisessuction cups for holding the building element.
 12. A placing device asclaimed in claim 1, in which the lifting means comprises at least onemandrel for engagement in a recess at an underside of the buildingelement.
 13. A placing device as claimed in claim 1, in which thelifting means comprises lowerable arms for lifting floor structureelements.
 14. A placing device as claimed in claim 5, in which thelongitudinal displacement means and the pivot means comprise a commonbearing.
 15. A building system for constructing a multi-storey building,comprising a placing device as claimed in claim 1 and at least twolifting devices for lifting the building element when it is placedaccording to the predetermined pattern.
 16. A building system as claimedin claim 15, further comprising lifting towers arranged along an outsideof the multi-storey building.
 17. A building system as claimed in claim16, further comprising tie rods which interconnect two lifting towersarranged on opposite sides of the multi-storey building.
 18. A method ofconstructing a multi-storey building, in which an upper storey isconstructed and raised before a lower storey is constructed under theraised upper storey wherein a placing device lifts by a lifting means aprefabricated building element from a storage place, that the placingdevice moves the building element to a placement position in the lowerstorey according to a predetermined pattern by moving itself inside thelower storey and/or rotating the lifting means about a normal to a floorplane of the lower storey, and that the placing device places thebuilding element in the placement position.
 19. A method as claimed inclaim 18, in which the storage place is outside the multi-storeybuilding.
 20. A method as claimed in claim 18, in which the buildingelement is a wall element or a floor structure element.
 21. A method asclaimed in claim 18, in which the building element is selected from thegroup consisting of a bathroom module, a kitchen module, a stair moduleand an elevator module.
 22. A method as claimed in claim 18, in whichthe placing device finely adjusts the position of the building elementby lateral displacement of the building element parallel to the floorplane.
 23. A method as claimed in claim 18, in which the placing devicefinely adjusts the position of the building element by longitudinaldisplacement of the building element parallel to the floor plane.
 24. Amethod as claimed in claim 18, in which the placing device finelyadjusts the position of the building element by rotating the buildingelement about a normal to the floor plane.
 25. A method as claimed inclaim 18, in which the placing device finely adjusts the position of thebuilding element by turning the building element in a planeperpendicular to the floor plane.